


Anything but Fake

by WordsInTimeAndSpace



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Female Doctor (Doctor Who), Fluff, Romance, fem!doctor - Freeform, fem!ten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 00:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8124427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsInTimeAndSpace/pseuds/WordsInTimeAndSpace
Summary: When they are out dancing and an obtrusive guy is hitting on Rose, the Doctor comes to her rescue - in an unconventional way.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Slight warning for alcohol mention and harassment.
> 
> There is GORGEOUS art for this fic created by travelingrose that you should all check out here: [this fic on tumblr](http://wordsintimeandspace.tumblr.com/post/150968956703/anything-but-fake)

Taking a careful sip of her drink, Rose let her gaze wander over the crowded dancefloor. She wrinkled her nose as the alcohol burned down her throat and set the drink down at the nearest table. Over the unpleasant sting she couldn’t even make out what was actually in there. The Doctor had pressed the glass into her hand only moments ago, before shouting over the booming music that she needed the loo. She’d left Rose to dance with Jack, but now he’d also disappeared into the crowd. Probably caught the eye of some pretty blonde, or left to flirt with their friend Ianto, who was the barkeeper for tonight.

Rose made her way over the dancefloor, dodging bodies dancing to the music as she tried to make out a familiar face in the dim light of the club. She was halfway to the restrooms to look for the Doctor when someone suddenly stepped directly in front of her, blocking her way. Moving her gaze over a broad chest and muscular shoulders, Rose looked into a face she didn’t recognize. The stranger was smiling at her, so Rose instinctively smiled back. Encouraged, he took another step forward until they were nearly touching.

“Wanna dance?” he yelled, moving his hands to her hips before she had the chance to answer. Rose shook her head, trying to step out of his grip, but she only collided with someone behind her and was shoved back into the man’s arms. He grinned, obviously more than pleased with that. Rose felt a little sick.

“Sorry, I can’t,” Rose shouted over the noise around them. She took his hands from her hips with as much force as she dared, but it obviously wasn’t enough to impress him.

“Come on, sweetheart! What’s your name? I’m Jimmy,” the stranger protested, trying again to put his arms around her. But before he could do that, a high pitched voice interrupted them.

“There you are, love! I’ve been looking for you!”

Rose needed a second to process the words. The voice was definitely familiar, but everything else was not. It was a voice she heard nearly every day by now, after one boring accounting class they had taken together a long time ago, just before Rose had decided to go into art while the Doctor had dived back into science. The tone of that voice, however, was not entirely familiar. And the ‘love’ certainly wasn’t, at least not when Rose was awake and not daydreaming about her best friend.

Before her mind had stopped whirling, the Doctor had already wrapped her arms around Rose and pressed a wet kiss to her cheek.

“Just play along,” she said quietly into her ear. Rose giggled as she finally caught up to what the Doctor was doing and wrapped her arms around her waist.

The Doctor quickly pulled back a little, enough to turn to Jimmy, who was staring at them with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“Hello!” the Doctor exclaimed with fake enthusiasm. “I see you’ve met my girlfriend?”

Rose’s heart skipped a beat when she heard that expression. She sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly thankful for the noise and the darkness around them. The Doctor didn’t need to know her reaction to the mere idea of a relationship with her.

Jimmy frowned, his eyes wandering from Rose to the Doctor and back. And then his face darkened. “Oh come on, you’re just faking it, aren’t you?” he sneered.

“Nope,” Rose said, tightening her grip around the Doctor’s waist. “This is Jane.” She desperately tried not to stumble over the next words. “My girlfriend.”

“Prove it, then,” Jimmy said, and it was like a punch to her chest. For a second, Rose wasn’t sure if she could breathe.

She jerked her head up to look at the Doctor, who was staring down at her looking as dumbfounded as Rose felt. They both hadn’t been expecting that. But they were too far gone to back down now, Rose thought with her heart racing in her chest. She took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. Maybe just a quick peck on the lips? It wouldn’t mean anything, not between friends. She and Shareen used to do that all the time when they were teenagers.

Before her brain could catch up properly to tell her it was a bad idea, Rose stepped on tiptoes and pressed her lips to the Doctor’s.

It was supposed to be a quick kiss, just a second to prove the point to that idiot harassing them. But then the Doctor melted into the kiss and Rose found herself unable to pull away. Not when the Doctor pressed closer to her until their chests were touching, the Doctor’s breasts soft against hers, and kissed her back in such a loving and tender way that it took Rose’s breath away. Rose gasped against her lips and moved her hands to the Doctor’s neck, playing with the short strands of hair at the back of her head.

With blood rushing in her ears, Rose barely heard the cheering around them. It wasn’t until a pair of hands landed on her waist that Rose was roughly pulled out of that blissful moment of intimacy between her and the Doctor. With the Doctor currently groping Rose’s bum, it certainly weren’t her hands on Rose’s waist.

She abruptly pulled back and only took a second to admire the Doctor’s dazed expression before whirling around and shoving Jimmy hard against his chest. He yelped and loosened his grip on her waist as he stumbled back in surprise. But any kind of puzzlement was quickly clouded by anger. Rose saw him mouth a curse before he lunged forward.

The Doctor roughly pulled Rose behind her, her movement quicker that Rose had anticipated. But the Doctor’s presence only slowed him down for a second. Jimmy gritted his teeth and curled his hands into fists before he was back into movement. Rose tried to shove the Doctor out of the way, but she didn’t budge, shielding Rose from everything that was coming. Panic sizzled through Rose’s veins, but suddenly Jimmy was roughly pulled back from them.

He howled in pain. Relief flooded Rose when she saw Jack behind him, holding an arm against his back in a firm grip. It looked like it must hurt like hell, but for the moment, Rose couldn’t find any sympathy. The only thing that mattered was that the Doctor was safe.

The Doctor stumbled a step back, colliding with Rose, and Rose quickly wrapped an arm around her waist.

“You alright?” Rose asked and the Doctor nodded, eyes still fixed on the man struggling against Jack’s grip. Her face was pale, showing her anxiety although she tried hard to hide it.

“Yeah, I am,” the Doctor finally said, gulping hard. The security arrived, taking the man away, and the Doctor finally turned to Rose. Her eyes wandered over her body, as if to make sure that she was unharmed.

“I’m okay,” Rose said, her voice shaking slightly. A second later the Doctor pulled her into a tight embrace. Rose buried her face in the crook of her neck, finding comfort in the Doctor’s arms securely wrapped around her.

“Are you all right? Doc? Rose?” Jack asked, pulling them both out of the moment. Rose hesitantly took a step back, staying close to the Doctor. As if she felt her reluctance to let go, the Doctor reached for her hand and entangled her fingers with hers.

“I think we’re fine,” Rose said and Jack’s tense face relaxed.

“Yes, we are,” the Doctor added. “Thank you.”

“No problem. You two look like you need a drink.”

Rose shifted uncomfortably, hesitating for a second.

“Actually,” the Doctor started, her eyes flickering over to Rose. “I think maybe we should go.”

Rose squeezed her hand and nodded. “Yeah, I guess that ruined the mood a bit and it’s late. Sorry.”

Jack looked like he wanted to protest for a second, but then he gave them a sympathetic smile. “Sure. I’ll bring you outside.”

~~~

It was a mild summer night, so despite Jack’s attempt to call them a cab Rose and the Doctor decided to walk the short way to Rose’s flat. The Doctor insisted to bring her home, although it was a bit of a detour for her, and Rose didn’t protest. It felt reassuring to have the Doctor’s hand in hers, and although Rose was still shaken by the events of the evening, the mere presence of her best friend at her side calmed her down. But as they walked hand in hand through the night, Rose’s thoughts turned back to the long blissful moment just before everything had turned pear-shaped.

She could still feel the Doctor’s lips on hers, softer than she’d always imagined, kissing her first shyly but slowly growing bolder until her head was spinning. Rose licked her lips, searching for a taste that wasn’t there anymore. A taste that she longed to have back on her tongue as soon as she could. She remembered the way the Doctor’s body had pressed against hers, warm and soft, and the way her hands had roamed her back until they had settled firmly on her bum. Whatever it was that had happened between them, it had felt anything but fake.

And it made Rose’s heart flutter in excitement and hope in a way she had desperately tried to suppress for so long. Rose glanced at the Doctor walking quietly beside her, staring straight ahead. Her cheeks were still flushed and her hair was still in disarray, more than usual. Rose felt a sudden surge of pride that she had caused this look on her. Her heart stumbling in her chest, Rose quickly tore her gaze away from the other woman before she could do anything stupid. Like shove her against the nearest wall and snog her senseless.

A shiver went down her spine at that thought and the Doctor finally glanced over to her. She shifted closer, wrapping an arm around her and gently rubbing her skin against the chill of the night. Rose smiled at her, despite the conflicting feelings whirling inside her and the Doctor smiled back for a long moment. But then she tore her gaze away, cleared her throat, and stepped out of the embrace.

“There we are!” she exclaimed, nodding at the apartment building in front of them.

Rose stopped dead in her tracks, suddenly anxious to let her friend go. “You could stay over,” she blurted out before she could stop herself. The Doctor raised her eyebrows in question.

“It’s just, I don’t want you to be alone now. Not in the middle of the night and after all that trouble we got in.”

The Doctor hesitated for a second and Rose tried to come up with her most charming smile.

“Please? We haven’t done a sleepover in a while. It’ll be fun.”

Breaking out into a soft smile, the Doctor finally nodded. “All right, Rose Tyler. Allons-y!”

~~~

Back in her flat, Rose kicked off her heels with a groan and flung her purse on the coffee table. The Doctor settled down on the couch while Rose went to make tea.

When she came back, two steaming mugs in her hands, the Doctor was splayed out on the couch, converse-clad feet propped up on the table and her head flung back. For a second Rose stopped to admire her lean legs in the pinstriped trousers and the low-cut top she wore today instead of her usual button-up shirt. The Doctor’s eyes finally opened and she hastily scrambled into a sitting position to make room for Rose next to her. Rose sat down, close but not quite touching, and nervously smoothed out her dress over her legs. For a while they were both quietly sipping their tea until the Doctor let out a sigh and ran a hand through her tousled hair. Rose bumped her knee against the Doctor’s and finally spoke up.

“All right there?” she murmured.

The Doctor leaned her elbows on her legs and stared down into the mug in her hands.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said, without looking at Rose. “It’s just… I’m not quite sure what happened. It kind of ran away with me. I wanted to help and messed it up a little.”

Rose gulped hard when she realized what the Doctor was talking about. “It’s okay,” she said lightly, although her insides clenched painfully at the fake nonchalance. “You did help, and I really appreciate that.”

Instead of relaxing, the Doctor’s expression darkened. “It was me who put you in danger. The situation wouldn’t have escalated like that if I didn’t-”

“You can’t know that,” Rose protested. “And it’s not your fault. You were trying to help, yeah? You tried to make it a convincing act and-”

“Wasn’t acting,” the Doctor blurted out before Rose could finish her sentence. For a second, time seemed to stand still. The room was quiet and Rose could hear her heart thumping heavily against her ribs.

“What?” Rose finally said, refusing to believe she’d heard her right.

“I wasn’t exactly acting on that part,” the Doctor began carefully. When Rose remained silent, too stunned to find the right words, she turned to her and began to babble.

“I’m sorry. I realize that was terrible timing on my part, but you kissed me, and I really wasn’t prepared for that. I couldn’t think! It was like there was only cotton in my brain and I couldn’t come up with a clear thought so I just did what felt right, what I’d wanted for a while now and I’m sorry if I messed up and-”

Rose suddenly stopped her with two fingers on her lips. “Doctor, breathe,” she said and the Doctor blinked at her in confusion before taking a deep breath. Rose took her fingers away from the Doctor’s lips, lingering against her cheek for a second.

“You wanted this?” Rose finally asked quietly, hopefully, and the Doctor blushed. She nodded and opened her mouth again, maybe to apologize another time, so Rose rushed to explain before she could get out a word.

“It’s just… I’m a little confused, that is all,” she began. “I’ve flirted with you for months after we met and you were always oblivious to that. I mean, yeah, you flirted back, but you do that with everyone, and it never looks like you’re really interested in that sort of thing. So this is a bit of a surprise. Good surprise, of course.”

The Doctor’s tense posture relaxed at her last words. She leaned back with a soft smile.

“The first time I saw you, I immediately knew that I like you,” she started to explain, carefully searching for the right words. “But I’ve never wanted to… never felt the desire to…” She trailed off, avoiding Rose’s gaze. “And then I got to know you over the months, really got to know you, and it changed everything.”

Rose smiled, watching with delight how the Doctor’s cheeks turned pink.

“And now you want to kiss me?” she asked carefully.

The Doctor blushed even harder, fumbling for Rose’s hand resting between them.

“Yes. I mean, if you want to.”

Rose squeezed her hand in reassurance and shifted closer to her.

“Might be hard to get me off you now that I’m sure you want this too,” she teased before tilting her head up and pressing her lips back to the Doctor’s.

As before, the Doctor promptly responded to the kiss, curling an arm around Rose’s waist to pull her closer while she rested her other hand at the nape of her neck to gently hold her in place. There was no doubt the Doctor really wanted this. Not with the content hum she let out against Rose’s lips and the way she nipped at her bottom lip when her movements grew bolder. All too soon they had to break apart for air, both of them panting for breath as they rested their foreheads against each other’s.

The Doctor let out a happy giggle, as if she couldn’t quite believe what they had just done, and Rose joined in, laughing until her stomach hurt. They were splayed out on the couch, lying side by side with their arms wrapped around each other. When they calmed down, they looked at each other for a long moment with matching smiles on their faces.

“So,” Rose started, brushing a strand of hair out of the Doctor’s face. “Can I officially introduce you as my girlfriend the next time we go somewhere?”

“Oh, you liked that, did you?” the Doctor snickered. Rose gently hit her arm and the Doctor’s grin turned into a laugh. She leaned forward to catch Rose’s lips between hers.

“Only if I can do the same,” the Doctor murmured against her lips when they broke apart.

Rose smiled. “I did like that too, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Oh, I could tell,” the Doctor teased. Rose rolled her eyes and pulled her back into a kiss, deciding it was the best way to get the smug grin off the Doctor’s lips.


End file.
